Students for Civil Rights in Iran at UCSD Contact: Nima Rassooli, President E-mail: ucsd.iran@gmail.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ucsdsci Read the passed resolution The Students for Civil Rights in Iran (SCI) at UC San Diego, on the eve of the one year anniversary of the June 12th elections in Iran, put forth and passed a Resolution to the Associated Students of UC San Diego in solidarity with the Iranian non-violent student movement for democratic reform in Iran, condemning the human rights violations that have occurred by the Iranian government. The resolution was placed forth through ASUCSD council during their meeting held on 2nd of June 2010 at 5pm at UC San Diego, in the Forum. The resolution was passed unanimously, 15-0. UC San Diego is the first University Campus in the United States to pass a resolution condemning the human rights violation in accordance to the UNHDR. The resolution also calls for the release of prominent student leaders such as Majid Tavikoli and Bahareh Hedayat who are illegally imprisoned. The resolution expresses UC San Diego student solidarity with the upcoming protests in Iran on June 12th 2010, the one-year anniversary of the protested elections in Iran as well as the beginning of the Green Movement. . SCI will be thankful if the respected individuals endorse the passed resolutions or in any way help publicize the passed resolution. UCSD expresses solidarity with the Green Movement. Other colleges throughout the world will also catch on to bear witness. A copy of the resolution is attached. Student’s for Civil Rights in Iran (SCI) is a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, and community members centered at the University of California, San Diego and organized in accordance with democratic principles to promote human and civil rights in Iran. SCI condemns economic sanctions and any possible overt or covert foreign operation against Iran. SCI is in solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran.
A Resolution in Solidarity with the Iranian Non-Violent Student Movement for Democratic Reform in Iran WHEREAS, the Associated Students of the University of California, San Diego (ASUCSD) is an institution dedicated to promoting peace in all aspects of student experiences; and WHEREAS, on 13 January 2010 the ASUCSD passed a “Resolution in Support of the Victims of the 12 January 2010 Earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti” stating that the ASUCSD “as global citizens are obliged to play a role in concurrent world events”; and WHEREAS, on June 8, 1989 the ASUCSD unanimously passed a resolution which expressed solidarity with the protesting students and the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The Resolution, “Protesting Chinese Students Solidarity Resolution”, expresses support for the democratic reform movement in China. We site this as precedent for UCSD student government to show support for non-violent protest movements around the globe; and WHEREAS, student activists in Iran have been on the forefront for advocating for reforms in Iran and respect for their civil rights, many have been arrested, imprisoned, or even killed for voicing their opinions: a. Majid Tavakoli, a student at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, was arrested 7 December 2009 during a protest for democratic reforms, is currently being held in the notorious Evin prison without charges, or a proper trial according to the Iranian constitution, he participated in a hunger strike to protest his solitary confinement, and continues to be a leader in the movement,1 b. Sohrab Arabi disappeared 15 June 2009 during a democratic reform protest, was shot during the protest and his body was kept by the government for a month to cover up the incident,2. c. In the past week, two more students, Bahareh Hedayat and Milad Asadi, have been sentenced to 9 and a half and five years respectively in prison for speaking out against the government, which is a violation of their rights under the Iranian constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Articles 18, 19, and 20);3 and WHEREAS, in the last nine months, there have been numerous violations of Iranian citizen’s right to free expression as guaranteed by the Iranian constitution, including: a. the banning of reformist political parties,4 b. show trials of prominent politicians, activists, and students,4. c. many newspapers and web sites have been closed in violation of free speech rights, and over 65 writers imprisoned,5. d. hundreds of thousands of web sites and blogs have been hacked or shut down,6. e. cell phones and emails were monitored to arrest prominent activists;7. and WHEREAS, Nokia Siemens provided surveillance and censorship technology that has been instrumental in the persecution and arrests of Iranian dissidents;9. and WHEREAS, the Iranian government has cracked down further on women’s rights since the June election, especially: a. restrictive mandatory dress codes for women such as the veil;10. b. women’s rights activists targeted for imprisonment;8. and WHEREAS, Since 12 June 2009, the date of the presidential election in Iran, thousands of citizens have been arrested for participating in or supporting the non-violent protests, known as the Green Movement, against voter fraud and speaking out for their civil rights, as well as hundreds who have been killed, raped, tortured, and beaten by government police forces;11. and WHEREAS, there are Iranian Americans and Iranian national students at UCSD with family and friends in Iran, and they are concerned with the civil and human rights violations occurring there; and WHEREAS, US congress, EU parliament, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the venerable President of the United States Barack Obama all express their solidarity with the Iranian Green Movement;12,13,11,14,15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the ASUCSD expresses its solidarity with the Green Movement in Iran, noting their struggles for human and civil rights; be it further RESOLVED, the ASUCSD condemns the oppression of students, activists, and protesters by the government and security forces of Iran; BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the ASUCSD recognizes the importance of civil and human rights for all peoples. Sources 1. BBC News, “Iranian men don hijabs in protest at student’s arrest”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8409778.stm. 2. Los Angeles Times, “Slain Iranian teenager becomes symbol of protests”, http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/14/world/fg-iran-sohrab14. 3.International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “Draconian Prison Sentences Doled Out for Activists” http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/05/hedayat-asadi-sentenced/ 4.F. Worth, Robert, New York Times, “Iran Mutes a Chorus of Voices for Reform”, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/world/middleeast/20iran.html 5.Reporters Without Borders for Press Freedom, “Repression stepped up yet again as Iran becomes world’s biggest prison for journalists”, http://en.rsf.org/iran-repression-stepped-up-yet-again-as-21-06-2009,33474 6.Reporters Without Borders for Press Freedom, “Internet Enemies”, http://en.rsf.org/internet-enemie-iran,36684.html 7.Rhoads, Christopher and Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal, “Iran’s Web Spying Aided By Western Technology”, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124562668777335653.html 8.Bashi, Golbarg, Tehran Bureau, “Iranian Feminism after June 2009”, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2009/07/iranian-feminism-after-june-2009.html 9.Fildes, Jonathan, BBC News, “MEPs condemn Nokia Siemens ‘surveillance tech’ in Iran”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8511035.stm 10. Memarian, Omid, IPS News, “Iran’s Hijab Crackdown Intensifies as Election Anniversary Nears”, http://www.womensnet.org.za/news/irans-hijab-crackdown-intensifies-election-anniversary-nears 11. Amnesty International, “Iran Election Contested Repression Compounded”, http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/123/2009/en/1e69a8fb-dcf1-4165-a7fc-a94369e364bf/mde131232009en.pdf 12. Gov Track, “Text of H. Res. 560: Expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights,…”http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr111-560 13. The Green Voice of Freedom, “European Parliament condemns Iran”, http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2010/feb/10/1081 14. Human Rights Watch, “The Islamic Republic at 31”, http://www.hrw.org/en/node/88463/section/2 15. Chicago Sun-Times, “Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech. Transcript”, http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/12/obamas_nobel_peace_prize_speec.html